Three cheers for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers!

It isn’t every day that I am truly touched by a genuine act of kindness, but that was certainly the case on Wednesday as news reports announced Tampa Bay Buccaneers signing of former Rutgers defensive tackle Eric LeGrand.

If you recall, LeGrand had his playing career come to a sad end when he suffered a serious spinal injury and fractures of two vertebrae when playing for Rutgers and current Tampa Bay head coach Greg Schiano in a game against Army on Oct. 16, 2010.

Schiano contacted LeGrand's mother in New Jersey to let her know of his intention the night before breaking the news to his former player.

"I said, 'Are you serious? You want to do this?' He said: 'It's the least we could do,' " LeGrand said Wednesday during a conference call. "I said I don't even know what to say to you right now, coach. This is amazing.

"It's something I always dreamed about, go to the NFL and retire and become a sportscaster," LeGrand added. "Dreams do come true if you really believe. You do the right things in life, good things happen to you. He really just did this out of the kindness of his heart. It's really what he wanted to do. I had no idea this was going to happen."

LeGrand has mad wonderful progress in his rehabilitation after initially being told he would be a quadriplegic and would have to remain on a ventilator.

Five weeks after the accident, LeGrand began breathing on his own and shortly thereafter, became able to stand upright with the aid of a metal frame.

"Leading up to the draft, I couldn't help but think that this should've been Eric's draft class," Schiano said. "This small gesture is the least we could do to recognize his character, spirit and perseverance. The way Eric lives his life epitomizes what we are looking for in Buccaneer Men."

Tampa Bay also timed the signing perfectly as they chose May 2 (5/2) to represent LeGrand's college number (52).

The one-of-a-kind young man posted a photo of a Tampa Bay Buccaneers helmet on his Twitter page, tweeting, "We ready!!!"

"It's a symbolic gesture. They can't give me any money with the salary cap and all that kind of stuff," LeGrand said in his conference call. "It's symbolic, something coach wanted to do and I appreciate that. It just shows the man that he is."

Oh yeah Eye On Sports readers … Wednesday was one of the best days in sports Iin recent memory – and it’s all because of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Greg Schiano and definitely – Eric LeGrand!

By the way, LeGrand is set to graduate this fall with a degree in labor studies.